DESTROYED – The Bissell Centre fire at its temporary location. Obviously, serious damage was the result.

CHRIS COLBOURNE/St. Albert Gazette

Where to offer help?

People can donate quality used clothing at the following sea container locations:• The original Thrift Shoppe at 8818 118 Avenue• The Bissell Centre East Building at 10527 96 Street (on the south side of the building) • Bissell Centre Southside at 5120 122 Street

Donations are accepted between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., from Monday to Saturday only, except the Southside location, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are also two community drop off locations at radio stations 95.7 CRUZ FM (5241 Calgary Trail, Suite 700) and Up 99.3 FM (9894 42 Avenue).

Online financial donations can be made at www.bissellcentre.org/donate/its-easy-and-simple.

By all accounts, it has not been a good year for the Bissell Centre. It was only about 10 months ago that a fire devastated the poverty-battling organization’s popular and well-renowned Thrift Shoppe on 118 Avenue, forcing it to relocate to a temporary location several blocks away.

A new fire at the temporary location late last month has once again devastated their stock of donated clothing and left staff wondering what untoward circumstances will befall them next.

“We definitely are seeing it as a strange coincidence,” concluded Devin Komarniski, the Bissell’s acting manager of marketing and communications.

He admitted that these have indeed been trying times but that the centre’s team is pretty good at picking up the pieces and brushing off the dust to get back on with business. When asked to describe people’s spirits, he said, “Optimistic … now.”

“We were in crisis mode. It was definitely hard, mostly on the staff that were displaced. Management and leadership had to come together in a flash. Everybody just came back in to tackle the issue. It got pretty tense … pretty intense. We’re through the thick of the crisis and now looking forward to the fall when we can hopefully re-enter our permanent location.”

The first fire in early September 2013 caused an estimated $650,000 in damage to the Thrift Shoppe located at 8818 118 Avenue. It was deemed to be accidental in nature, having started in the sorting area at the back of the store. As a result of the fire, all of the inventory had to be thrown out. Some staff members were laid off also.

The store was temporarily relocated to 11817 80 Street. On June 21, another fire started in the ceiling space on the north side of the building. It destroyed 100,000 articles of clothing and household items intended for homeless and low-income residents. The value of the damages was pegged at $950,000. The Bissell was only renting that space, however, so the value of the damaged goods was estimated at $350,000.

As the Bissell employees await the restored original Thrift Shoppe to open once again in the fall – more than a year after the initial fire – there is no current location for conscientious shoppers to purchase quality second-hand goods from the Bissell. That is, at least for the time being.

“That’s definitely difficult for us. That’s a huge loss in revenue. We still have staff to pay. We’re just in the process of reassigning them so we don’t have to lay off anybody,” he admitted.

Komarniski added that having a fire protection system in the store is “top of mind.”

“We don’t want this to happen again.”

There are now three sea containers that have been stationed as drop-off points for members of the public who want to continue to make their donations of quality second-hand goods. They are located at the original Thrift Shoppe, the Bissell Centre East Building (10527 96 Street on the south side of the building) and Bissell Centre Southside (5120 122 Street).

Donations are accepted between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday only, except the Southside location, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are also two community drop off locations at radio stations 95.7 CRUZ FM (5241 Calgary Trail, Suite 700) and Up 99.3 FM (9894 42 Avenue).

So far, approximately 25,000 articles of clothing have been accepted since the second fire.

“I am so grateful to the Edmonton community, individuals, businesses and organizations that have stepped forward to assist, and who recognize the value of the work we do to help those living in poverty and without a home,” stated Mark Holmgren, the CEO of the Bissell Centre.

The Thrift Shoppe normally brings in approximately $70,000 monthly. That money helps to support the Bissell Centre’s work to help approximately 6,000 people every month in areas including employment services, community supports, recreation and wellness, and victim services.

People can call 780-423-2285 or visit www.bissellcentre.org to keep updated on progress and learn other ways to help out the agency, including making online financial contributions as well. The website (and the Bissell’s Facebook page and its Twitter account) also feature updates about the recovery process.

A fundraising campaign called Restore Bissell is also expected to be launched within the next week to help bring in more financial support.

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